S1.E11 - The Importance of Prayer

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 11 - The Importance of Prayer

Pastor Daniel talks about the overarching importance of prayer in leadership. Prayer comes first. Everything we do must be surrendered to God in prayer. A simple definition of prayer is talking and listening to God. “We need to be men and women of prayer who prioritize talking and walking with God, and relying on His strength, His will, His power.” Jesus taught us that when we pray we ought to be asking for God’s will to be done, not our own. Daniel shares his own story of how he grew in this area of prayer through the experience of church planting In Delray Beach, Florida, and being totally dependent upon God. “We really saw God direct us over and over and over again through prayer.” Asking God for opportunities, not knowing anyone in the city, then going out and sharing the gospel with people wherever they went—and people responded to the power of God’s grace. “We got to see God do His greatest miracle—saving a soul.” All of these things happened as a result of God’s response to prayer. When we ask, He moves. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2). Jesus modeled this for us in His ministry and taught His disciples to pray. Not if you pray, but when you pray. We need to see prayer as a great privilege and to grasp that it is God’s desire to know us and for us to know Him. Prayer should be an integral part of every area of ministry. Seeing God work through prayer builds confidence and trust in Him so that we know whether He says yes or no or not yet, He knows what we need and when we need it. Ultimately prayer changes us. We were made to worship and just as Moses was changed by being in the presence of God, so, too, as we worship Him we reflect Him to the people. Daniel discusses practical ways to build the habit of prayer in your life, For more information and great resources on prayer go to redemptiondb.com/30for30prayer. In this week’s One Piece of Advice, Pastor Eric Souza talks about having godly character (that part of us that is changed to reflect God through prayer) and why it is essential in ministry.

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One Piece of Advice | Having Godly Character

Pastor Eric Souza, Jacksonville, Florida, talks about the importance of having godly character. Having godly character is crucial, really, for leadership but also for Christian living in general. In      Timothy 3, Paul lists the expectations for bishops and elders and other church leaders. And in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says to “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” “This should be our verse as leaders. The people we shepherd need to be able to see Jesus in us. They need to be able to look to us as that positive example.” This is the only way to have an effective and fruitful ministry. “If we expect to lead anybody, we need to show them.” The fact is, godliness needs to be real to you. Christianity needs to be real to you. Godly character is incredibly important because it validates our ministry to people. It makes us authentic because we are living what we are preaching. 

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Quotes:

“As His servants, serving His church, it is important to be in communion with Him, to listen to our Master. And when we pray, we actually align our hearts up with His will.” -Daniel Williams

“I think it is so important that we testify of the importance of prayer and how as leaders we see God work.” -Daniel Williams

“God expects His people to pray.” -Daniel Williams

“Jesus wants you to see the blessing in prayer. God wants to have a relationship with you.” -Daniel Williams

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E10 - The Holy Spirit

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 10 - The Holy Spirit

Pastor Daniel introduces this episode about being filled with the Holy Spirit as we serve Jesus. We can rely on Him, on His Spirit for our strength. This Leadership Lesson is given by Pastor Jim Gallagher, the lead pastor at Calvary Chapel Vero Beach and also one of the regional directors of Calvary Chapel in South Florida. The phrase “baptism of the Holy Spirit” is used six times in the New Testament, including all four of the gospels. In Matthew 3:11, referring to Jesus, John the Baptist said, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. “Everything that happens through the believers in the book of Acts is a byproduct of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” This baptism is something that is promised to all those who believe in Christ. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit being with us, in us, and coming upon us. “Jesus referred to the Spirit in us as being born again. Paul referred to it as the washing of regeneration. The New Testament writers saw the need for the church and the Christian to be continually filled with the Spirit. A few passages with that concept: Romans 15, 2 Corinthians 13; Galatians 3; Ephesians 5; 1 Thessalonians 5. “The work of the Spirit is to lead a person to faith in Christ, to convert that person when they believe on Jesus, to transform a person into the image of Jesus, and to supply continual gifting and empowering as we step out to serve the Lord.” In Luke 11:13 Jesus says that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks Him. He is available to all believers. We are not left on our own. What should a person expect when they are filled with the Spirit? 6 things:1)Sanctification; 2)The presence of God more in daily life, teaching and guiding us; 3)Desire to reach the lost; 4)Fruit of the Spirit; 5)Increased effectiveness in prayer 6)Power of the Spirit (Acts 1:8) We in ministry are completely dependent upon the power of the Spirit to do the work of the heart. “Continually seek God for a fresh work of the Spirit.”  In this week’s One Piece of Advice, Pastor John Panico tells us the importance surrendering to Jesus, the source of all things.

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One Piece of Advice | Throw in the Towel (Surrender)

Pastor John Panico, Delray Beach, Florida, shares his advice to throw in the towel and surrender to God. “The difference between giving up and surrender is that, in the Christian life, the moment you throw in the towel that’s the moment you’re saying, ‘I surrender.’ And that’s the moment God comes in and floods your life with His power.” Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) God commences the work, He continues the work, and He completes the work. “Surrender to Him. Throw in the towel and watch what He does.”

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Quotes: 

“The work of the Holy Spirit is to baptize believers. The idea is of a person being submerged or filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.” -Jim Gallagher

“The real mark that a person belongs to Jesus is not something external, it is something internal, and it’s when the Spirit of God enters us.” -Jim Gallagher

“The work of the Spirit is to regenerate us to salvation and then to continually fill and equip us as we seek to follow Christ.” -Jim Gallagher

“A fresh work of the Spirit will show itself in the desire to become more like Jesus.” -Jim Gallagher

“The chief work of the Spirit coming upon someone is a power.” -Jim Gallagher

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E9 - Being Flexible

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 9 - Being Flexible

It’s no surprise to any of us. Things don’t always go as we planned. And so we have to be flexible. In this week’s episode, Pastor Daniel talks with his good friend Jason Sanchez, Director of House of Blessing Orphanage in Bachiniva, Mexico—a man well acquainted with the need to be flexible. Jason and his wife Jackie moved with their daughter Ayantu to Bachiniva in 2012 to start an orphanage, House of Blessing, where they are co-directors, along with a staff of four and interns and volunteers who serve short-term. They currently have 15 children in the orphanage, 5 boys and 10 girls, ranging in age from 3 to 16 years. How has he seen his plans not go according to plan in his ministry there? “My plans never go according to plan, especially in Mexico…Even now, five years later, it is still hard to get used to.” So how did being flexible work with that, how did you deal with it? Jason describes the process of first trying to fix it, to change the way it was and seeing his efforts prove to be futile, then crying out to God for help in getting done what God had clearly called them to do. Most of us know Proverbs 16:9: The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. We can quote it, but then when it actually happens that our plans don’t work out, we don’t like dealing with it. But you have to be flexible. God is the one in control. Where does planning fit in being flexible? Looking to Jesus as our example, we see that He knew where He was going, He was headed in a certain direction, but He stopped for people and gave them His time and attention, even when it was difficult or inconvenient. Jesus dealt with interruptions and distractions as opportunities to fulfill the Father’s plan. We need to know that God has the final say. And work on not stressing out when things don’t go the way you planned. …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) Some final words of encouragement from Jason: If you really want to grow in this area of flexibility, look for an opportunity for a cross-cultural experience. Go on a missions trip. You can reach Jason at thehouseofblessing.org on FB as Bachiniva Orphanage. This week’s One Piece of Advice fits right in with this idea of learning to handle stress—don’t freak out. God is in control.

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One Piece of Advice | Don’t Freak Out

Pastor Adam Parsons, Orlando, shares his advice on not freaking out when you experience what the Bible calls tribulations. “Things going wrong? That’s like my field; that’s what I can talk about!” Jesus has told us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). And in Romans 5:3, Paul encourages us to actually exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance. We are meant to rejoice in our sufferings. “It is just the reality of life. Suffering is not the result of God being angry with us or God pushing us away. Try to think about suffering in another light. “We think of God working through us in ministry. God wants to work in us through ministry." Pastor Adam gives us 4 Ps to help us remember what to do when we’re tempted to freak out in suffering: Pray: Talk to God about what is going on. Preach to yourself: Remind yourself what God has said in His word about suffering. Press forward: Trust in the sovereignty of God. “Anything that has come into my life or your life, God has a unique purpose for.” And finally, Promise: Remember that God has promised to bless us when we are faithful. We can count on Him.

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Coming up…Refresh Conference | Hosted by Redemption Church

November 9 & 10, 2018 | Veteran’s Day Weekend

Cost: $50 includes lunch on Saturday

Guest Speakers: Pastor David Guzik (enduringword.com) & Jason Sanchez (thehouseofblessing.org)

Register: www.redemptiondb.com/conference

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Quotes: 

“God, if we’re really going to live down here and do this, then you’ve got to change me, personally, in how to adapt to this. Because it was very hard and very, very frustrating.” -Jason Sanchez

“In America, we go, go, go. We do, do, do. Maybe it’s planning your schedule to allow for some flex time.” -Jason Sanchez

“Pray: ‘God, give me the spirit of flexibility.’ Pray for openness. ‘Lord, I literally want my plan to go according to your way.’” -Jason Sanchez

“We think of God working through us in ministry. God wants to work in us through ministry." -Adam Parsons

“Anything that has come into my life or your life, God has a unique purpose for.” -Adam Parsons

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Links:

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

Refresh Conference: www.redemptiondb.com/conference

S1.E8 - Event Planning

Before we get started in today’s Leadership Lesson, we want to announce the second annual Refresh Conference here in Delray Beach on November 9 & 10, 2018. It’s Friday evening and Saturday of Veteran’s Day weekend. Cost: $50 for the weekend, including lunch on Saturday. We’re planning a time of encouragement for church leaders and their teams which is hosted by Redemption Church. Guest Speakers this year will be Pastor David Guzik, who is a longtime pastor and author. You can find his ministry at enduringword.com. Also speaking will be Jason Sanchez, Director of House of Blessing Orphanage in Bachiniva, Mexico (houseofblessing.org) More information is available on our church website at redemptiondb.com/conference. 

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EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 8 - Event Planning

In this week’s Leadership Lessons, Pastor Daniel shares from his own experiences in event planning. An event is any time we gather together as a group. We want these events to be beneficial. “I’ve had my share of epic failures, but I want to learn from my mistakes, to get better, to improve.” Here are 10 principles for event planning. 1)Pray. Ask God for wisdom and vision. (James 1:5). 2)Have a goal/define success. What is the point of this event? (Proverbs 29:18) 3)Get others involved. Let people help. There are great benefits in working as a team. (1 Corinthians 12:21) 4)Listen. Ask for input. Brainstorm. (Ecclesiastes 4:9) 5)Traditions are great, but be creative. Try new things. (1 Corinthians 12:5-6) 6)Make the event worth the time and money. Communicate the why and how it can bring value to their life. 7)Pray for the people coming to the event, that they will be blessed. It’s easy to get so busy planning that you forget this step. 8)Communicate well. Make sure to communicate the details. Tell people what to expect. (Ecclesiastes 12:9-10) 9)Be flexible/adjust. “We want to act calmly when our plan doesn’t go the way we think it should.” Chuck Smith always said, “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not break.” 10)Follow up/evaluate after the event. Ask questions. What could we change to make it better? Do it while your team’s memory is fresh.God gives the grace to have a great event. “It’s a sweet privilege to be used by God in this way, to plan events and to bless people.” So those are the 10 principles of event planning. Now you take them and apply them in your own way in your own ministry, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s been a blessing to share them with you. In today’s One Piece of Advice, my friend, Robby Christmas, is going to talk about how it’s important to have a reproducible tool that you can share and pass on to other people.

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One Piece of Advice | Reproducible Tool

Pastor Robby Christmas, West Palm Beach, Florida, shares his advice for sharing the gospel: Have a simple, reproducible gospel tool that you can use regularly and that you can train others to use. Why is this so important? As leaders, we can make assumptions about what people are able to do and what people are, in fact, doing. “I came to the point in my journey where I learned this the hard way. People weren’t sharing the gospel like I thought they were.” What was missing was this very thing: a simple, reproducible gospel tool. The tool Pastor Robby uses is called 3Circles. It is being used and reproduced around the world. “If you want people under your leadership to be sharing the gospel, you have to model that.” You may have the gift of evangelism or your own personal way of sharing, but it will only reproduce if other people can be taught to share it themselves. Being prepared for a gospel conversation is no different than preparing for any other important assignment. Jesus has called us to be ready to share the gospel. For more information on 3Circles go to: https://www.namb.net/video/3-circles-life-conversation-guide or lifeonmissionbook.com

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Quotes:

“As leaders we want our gatherings to serve a purpose, to align with our mission and vision, but really to bless people. We want those events to be beneficial.” -Daniel Williams

“Don’t be afraid to use someone else’s ideas.” -Daniel Williams

"From time to time you should change up the format. I love being able to bring in guest speakers. It creates a bit of freshness to be creative.” -Daniel Williams

“We need to make sure we’re bringing value to our gatherings by doing the little things. Little things can bring a lot of value.” -Daniel Williams

“God’s sovereignty is much better than our plans.” -Daniel Williams

“We want to be good planners and plan great events, but God wants us to grow and exercise faith.” -Daniel Williams

“If you want people under your leadership to be sharing the gospel, you have to model that.” -Robby Christmas

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Links:

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com 

Refresh Conference: www.redemptiondb.com/conference

S1.E7 - Meetings

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 7 - Meetings

This week’s Leadership Lesson on meetings comes from Executive Pastor Steve Wright from Family Church, a multi-campus church and movement in South Florida. “We actually have a philosophy of meetings here at our church that is very robust and strong because we believe that that’s how you move vision forward. Meetings for us are the traction of how vision is set.” All of our meetings have five basic elements to them. 1)Start with prayer. It’s not about us or our skill set, it’s all about the Lord and what He is able to do through us. 2)Tell stories. We want to allow people on our teams to share with grateful hearts the things that God is doing so we can all celebrate those successes. 3)Review action items from the previous week, so there is accountability for our teams. Who is trustworthy to do what they’ve said they would do? 5)Look at our calendar for things coming up this Sunday, next week, next month. We talk things out. “I want to make sure as a leader that I’m setting an environment of collaboration. I want to value the contribution of those that are on my team. I invite all of the people in the meetings to contribute.” 5)Specific people being assigned specific times to get projects done. It’s not nebulous anymore; there’s a very specific action item. That’s the way we run meetings. We are not legalistically bound to these things, but they at least give us a framework, a guide. It’s been helpful for us at Family Church. This week’s One Piece of Advice comes from another pastor sharing his advice on how we can grow in this area of learning from each other.

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One Piece of Advice | Good Leaders are Good Learners

Pastor Razz Vazquez, Miami, Florida, shares his advice from Acts 6:3: Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. The first point is that leaders were chosen from among you. “To lead, you have to be able to follow. To teach, you have to be able to learn." These men were teachable, they were “appointable.” A good quality of leadership is learn to learn. Learn from those with whom God has raised you up.” From among you refers to this family in which God has placed you. As a pastor yourself, have a pastor or a group of pastors who can speak into your life and hold you accountable. Be faithful to your calling. 

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Recommended Book of the Month: H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. by Brad Lomenick

This is a great book by a guy with a lot of experience. He was the president of Catalyst, one of America’s most influential leadership movements. Here are a couple quotes: “Character is like oxygen; it is something we often don’t think about until it’s depleted." “Done is better than perfect.” More quotes can be found in the blog section of eeleaders.com. If you’d like to add some quotes of your own, please share them.

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Quotes:

“I want to hold lightly the things of God. Obviously I am a steward, not an owner and because these things are not mine to own, they are God’s, I want to hold them lightly.” -Steve Wright

“We want to make Jesus’ name great. The message I want to send to all of my teams is that we are solely, 100% dependent upon the Lord. I want to establish that in all of my meetings. I want to model that as a leader that this is where we want to start.” -Steve Wright

“One of the things that we want to model for our staff as we are in our meeting times is these stories, that we can with grateful hearts assign thanks to the Lord.” -Steve Wright

“We like to say we have 52 big events every year. They happen every Sunday.” -Steve Wright

“To lead, you have to be able to follow. To teach, you have to be able to learn." -Pastor Razz Vazquez

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

Church For the Rest of Us Podcast: https://www.familychurchnetwork.com/church-for-the-rest-of-us-podcast/

S1.E6 - Your Schedule

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Episode 6: Your Schedule

In this jam-packed episode, Daniel talks about the importance of planning your schedule. Good planning is part of good stewardship, of managing your time wisely. But you can’t do that unless you know what you’re supposed to be doing. That starts with understanding the will of God for your life. Ask God to show you that. Seek it out. Hebrews 12:1 talks about the sins that “easily entangle” us. We need to be vigilant; we don’t want to be held back or tripped up by Satan’s schemes. “If God has told you to go left and you’re going right, that is not a very wise thing.” Then, based on what God has called you to do, what He says is valuable for you to do, plan your schedule. Implementing the plan is essential. Daniel shares a helpful tool for prioritizing your schedule by using four categories: 1)Important; 2)Unimportant; 3)Urgent; 4)Non-urgent. You will hear how he does it and how it can help you with your planning. God repeatedly reminds us in His word to make His priorities ours. Have an eternal perspective. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.(Colossians 3:2) Learn to say NO. This keeps you focused and productive. Go to God daily and set your schedule before Him. Then trust Him when things don’t go according to your plan. Be flexible, but schedule it. “What gets scheduled gets done.” (Michael Hyatt) Daniel walks you through his schedule to get an idea of what this looks like for him, including how to block your time and the invaluable practice of taking a sabbath day. And always remember Who your focus is; Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Proverbs 12:21) In this week’s One Piece of Advice, Pastor Lewis Williams reminds us of this very thing.

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One Piece of Advice - Trust in the Lord

Pastor Lewis Williams, Houston, Texas, shares the advice found in Proverbs 3:5-6—Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Everyone prizes having knowledge and being smart, but we always come up short. We think we know, but we don’t. It is the Lord who knows. “Trust means we give Him our full confidence. All our heart means we don’t have room in our heart for anything besides God.” Don’t lean on your own understanding means don’t you do the thinking. Let God tell you. “In everything that we do, God should be somehow recognized—before, during and after, as Christians.” When we go our own way without asking or trusting God, things don’t turn out very well. But when we trust God first, it goes much better. “He knows the direction that you need to go, that is best for your development.”

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Quotes:

“As a leader, as a Christian man, I want to be able to be a good steward and faithful to God and worship God with my time…and so I want to be aware of how I’m spending my time and I want to invest my time wisely." -Daniel Williams

“Just because we’re busy does not mean we’re effective. We need to make sure we understand that. You can be busy but not be fruitful. Are you busy doing the right things and are you busy doing it in God’s strength, through His Spirit? -Daniel Williams

“So we want to schedule our time, we want to plan according to the word of God and what He tells us that we should be valuing, what He tells us is important and unimportant.” -Daniel Williams

“God is a planner. Before the foundations of the earth He planned to come and save us. He is an amazing planner!” -Daniel Williams

“Planning has changed my life dramatically because it’s allowed me to say the simple word: NO.  Because when I know the things God has called me to do, I can say yes to those things and no to other things.” -Daniel Williams

“In everything that we do, God should be somehow recognized—before, during and after, as Christians.” -Lewis Williams

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E5 - Alignment

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Episode 5: Alignment

In this episode, Daniel talks about alignment—implementing mission and vision in your church, with Pastor Bruce Zachary, Senior Pastor of Calvary Nexus in Camarillo, California (calvarynexus.org). Bruce is also founder of VELO Church Leaders (velochurchleaders.org) and serves as Co-Director of Calvary Church Planting Network, a global church planting initiative. Why does your church need a mission or vision statement? It is important to understand the difference between a mission statement and vision. A mission statement is the core values of a church that don’t change over the course of time; they are longstanding, maybe 20 years. Vision may change. But a mission statement is “a compass, a true north.” Bruce discusses five characteristics of what a mission statement should be and why each is important. What it shouldn’t be is someone else’s mission statement, no matter how much you like it. “The problem is that you can’t take on somebody’s DNA. In other words, if you’re looking at another church and thinking we’ll just do what they’re doing…if it’s not your DNA, it’s not going to be effective.” What are some practical ways to communication your mission? Repeat it. Get it out there in as many different forms as possible—and be consistent. “The best way to stay on target is not to get distracted by things that are not your vision or your mission.” Evaluate everything in terms of its impact on your mission. Then implement it. Most leaders don’t have all the skills necessary to accomplish every step in implementing the vision. This is why it is important to have a leadership team and work together strategically. Strategic implementation is the subject of this week’s One Piece of Advice with Pastor Mitch Thompson.

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One Piece of Advice | Strategic Framework

Pastor Mitch Thompson, Delray Beach, Florida, shares his advice on what his church has recently implemented through collaboration with other churches in their area. It is the idea of having a strategic framework based on strengthening areas of weakness or what Mitch calls “pain points” in their church’s ministry. “We realized we had failed in a lot of areas of being strategic as a church and a staff.” Through their willingness to collaborate with other churches they started a process of creating this framework. “We put together a ministry action plan so they all know what they’re doing that aligns with what God has uniquely called our church to do to move forward.” Mitch encourages this type of collaboration—“Get together, think through what is best practices and take advice from other churches who may not look like you but have been doing this longer and found some great ways that doing ministry has impacted their church and congregation.”

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Quotes:

“Alignment is the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process of where God is going and how are we going to get there” -Simple Church, Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger

On knowing your mission—“As you contemplate the things that really stir you, that you’re passionate about, those things should be the core or the essence of your mission.” -Bruce Zachary

“The further out you’re thinking, the more that you have to remain steadfast in terms of that vision in order to see it through.” -Bruce Zachary

“Get together, think through what is best practices and take advice from other churches who may not look like you but have been doing this longer and found some great ways that doing ministry has impacted their church and congregation.” -Mitch Thompson

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Links:

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E4 - Vision From Jesus

EE Leaders | Leadership Podcast Season 1: Episode 4 - Vision From Jesus

In this episode, Pastor Andrew Lundy, Boca Raton, Florida, talks about vision. How does vision even come about? What does it look like? What do ministry leaders mean when they talk about vision? It is this: “Seeing what God sees—a work of God’s grace. To see what I wouldn’t see otherwise.” In this episode, Andrew explains the pathway—the how—of knowing God’s vision. It starts with Jesus, because God sees all things. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch over the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3) Vision starts with seeing things from God’s vantage point. God shares the pain of our suffering; He feels it. Then He does something about it. He searches for people to do His work here on earth. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless[a] toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9) Then God selects people; He chooses individuals for certain tasks and certain purposes. Jesus chose the 12 disciples. He chooses those who are available for His service. And those He selects, He shows. “He opens our eyes to see what He sees. He gives us a vision of what He sees.” This vision from God planted by God stirs a person’s heart to feel what He feels. He entrusts us with His burdens and develops that stirring into a calling. Then He sends. He takes that burden with a vision and He gives it a mission, a task. This is the thrilling experience of being on that pathway of vision from God through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit and resulting in praise and glory to God. In this week’s One Piece of Advice, Pastor Jim Gallagher reminds us that it always begins with Jesus.

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One Piece of Advice - Seek Jesus

Pastor Jim Gallagher, Vero Beach, Florida, shares his advice on seeking Jesus. “Long before you were called to be a pastor, you were called to be a Christian.” While there are many struggles that are unique to pastoral ministry, regardless of which area of ministry you are in leadership over, your relationship with Jesus needs to be the primary thing. Measure yourself based on your being a child of God, not on the abundance or lack of fruit being produced in your ministry at any particular time. Make sure you keep your devotional life healthy. Don’t search the scriptures for a sermon illustration, search for how God might want to speak to you. Besides that, keep your relationship with your local community fresh, so that you’re always meeting people and having an opportunity to share the Lord. “Keep following Jesus, keep loving Him until He comes.”

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Quotes:

“God is looking for people—not perfect people, not capable people—but available people and willing people that He can use as vessels to accomplish His purposes.” -Andrew Lundy

“We see the grace of God in selecting empty vessels of normal-ness and weakness to display His awesomeness and HIs power.” -Andrew Lundy

“I’ve heard it said that having a vision without a task is a visionary. Having a task without a vision is drudgery. But a vision with a task makes a missionary.” -Andrew Lundy

“Long before you were called to be a pastor, you were called to be a Christian.” -Jim Gallagher

“Keep following Jesus, keep loving Him until He comes.” -Jim Gallagher

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E3 - Pass It On To Others

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 3 - Pass It On To Others

In this episode, Pastor Daniel talks about training leaders with Trip Kimball, Jacksonville, Florida, who is currently on staff with Poimen Ministries, a community of pastors serving pastors. You can find them at poimenministries.com. Trip draws from a lifetime of ministry experience which he shares in mentoring and developing leaders. Why is leadership important? “Just looking at what Jesus did…Jesus invested about three years of His life in the lives of men who became the foundation for the church.” The need for leadership in the church was apparent from the very beginning; you can read it in the epistles. Acts 6 describes a situation where more leaders were needed and how they resolved it: Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. (Acts 6:3) A pastor can’t do it all himself. He needs the help of those gifted and called by God. How do you do it? It starts very simply, working with a group of guys on how to study the Bible, how to put a message together, leadership basics. Then give them opportunities to do the work. Observe those already doing ministry. Who does what well? Pour into them what you know. You have to create opportunities for people to serve, to learn what works and what doesn’t. People learn by doing. Training others teaches you to do ministry better yourself. “I had people in my life who spoke into my life that were mentors. I looked back later at what did they do and then adapted to the situation at hand.” It’s the 2 Timothy 2:2 model, a pattern: …what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. There are times of formal training, but the most valuable times are informal settings where people are free to ask questions. You need to be available. This is the intentional part of discipleship. You have to step up and do it. You need to learn to listen to the person and really hear what they’re saying, so you can respond to them. But you alone can’t possibly know everything. A person needs more than one mentor. This week’s One Piece of Advice is about that. Pastor Pilgrim Benham shares his advice on friendship in ministry and why it’s so important.

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One Piece of Advice | Friendship

Pastor Pilgrim Benham, Bradenton, Florida, shares his advice about the importance of having a true friend in ministry. The friendship of Paul and Barnabas serves as a great example of two men whose relationship endured times of closeness as well as disagreement. It was Barnabas—son of encouragement—who first introduced Paul to the apostles after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:27). We need friends in ministry who will pull us, push us and challenge us in discipleship. We need accountability and encouragement. “We need to ‘vent up.’ We need to share our frustration in ministry, but we don’t want to do that with someone who is ministering under our care.” Find someone who is a peer or mentor in ministry, a person with whom you can talk openly and even weather conflict, iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17). This needs to be a priority. “Do you have someone in your life that’s a friend, someone that you can rely one and they can rely on you?”  Find more info on Pilgrim’s ministry at thisisshoreline.com and pilgrimbenham.com.

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Quotes:

“You’re not going to learn all this stuff from a book on leadership. You have to be observant.” -Trip Kimball

“In the process of learning, you also have to be discerning enough to know that’s not something I want to keep doing. But what would work? What would be a better thing to do?” -Trip Kimball

On having more than one mentor: “If they’re only looking at me, they’re only going to get my viewpoint. They’re only going to see things from my life experience. I don’t know everything there is to know." -Trip Kimball

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Links:

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E2 - Know Your Calling

EE Leaders | Leadership Lessons Season 1: Episode 2 - Know Your Calling

In this episode, Pastor Daniel begins with a question to ask yourself: Am I doing the things God has called me to do? and offering practical advice on how we can hear and discern God’s calling for our lives. What does calling mean? In his book Leaders Who Last, David Kraft describes calling as “the God of the universe speaking into your life and circumstances, expressing His will.” Your calling is something specific. Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We all want to know what God wants us to do. We want to be fruitful. Knowing your calling helps you to stay focused, to endure hardship and pain when it comes. Jesus said to count the cost (Luke 14:28). The call to leadership will cost you. It is a life of sacrificial service. Knowing your calling starts with seeking God and knowing Him through His word and through prayer. You can’t know your calling without knowing God. Pastor Daniel gives four key areas to pursue this question of calling: 1)Character—Does your daily life and choices testify to your being a godly leader? 2)Competency—Do you have the skills and gifts to do the job? Are you currently using your gifts and skills to glorify God?. 3)Community—What does your community say about your calling? Seek the advice and counsel of your spouse and other godly people in your life. Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (Proverbs 19:20) Is your community confirming your calling or saying you’re not ready yet? 4)Circumstances—What doors has God opened and shut for you in your life? Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. (Revelation 3:8) God knows His plans and purpose for our lives and He will accomplish that in order to expand His kingdom and bring Himself glory. Are your circumstances confirming your calling or telling you no or not yet? Closed doors may disappoint us, but we need to trust God. This is a long process and there are many layers of calling. But remember: You are the mission of Jesus. He loves you. Stay dependent on Him. Abide in Him. Be yourself. Discouragement can come from comparing yourself with others. In this month’s One Piece of Advice, Pastor Bryan Saylor talks about comparing. You’ll appreciate his encouragement.

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One Piece of Advice | Stop Comparing

Pastor Bryan Saylor, Melbourne, Florida, shares his advice, which is really a warning against falling into the trap of comparing yourself to others. In the world we live in today with its frenzy of social media, it can be easy to see yourself falling short in some area of your life since there is always someone somewhere who is doing life or ministry bigger and better than you are. The enemy can use this trap to make you feel embarrassed or ashamed of your own life. A better church, a cooler idea, a bigger audience…a constant barrage of me vs. others. It can be extremely destructive. “Actively eliminate comparison from your life—be vigilant about that.” Jesus talks about this type of self-discipline in Matthew 5:30: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” It is essential that we get rid of the things in ministry that are holding us back. Stand guard against the enemy of comparison and when you recognize it, destroy it. 

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Recommended Book of the Month: Leaders Who Last by David Kraft

This book had a great influence on Pastor Daniel. Here’s one quote: “Make it your priority and goal to pour your life into future leaders.” More quotes can be found in the blog section of eeleaders.com. If you’d like to add some quotes of your own, please share them.

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Quotes: 

“I believe there is nothing greater than doing what God has called us to do.” -Daniel Williams

“You can go to God’s word and get direction. He will speak to you.” -Daniel Williams

“You will have the good, the bad and the ugly in church leadership. We are imperfect people dealing with imperfect people.” -Daniel Williams

“Actively eliminate comparison from your life—be vigilant about that.” -Bryan Saylor

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com

S1.E1 - The What & The Why

Leadership Lessons Podcast | Season 1: Episode 1 - The What & The Why

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The What: Pastor Daniel Williams introduces his brand new podcast from EE Leaders with Leadership Lessons, Episode 1: The What & Why. Daniel shares his heart for this new ministry resource, having its origin growing up the son of a pastor. Seeing firsthand the impact of knowing and following God every day shaped this vision at an early age. Their family was raised with this foundation: “Jesus is real. The word of God is true. We’re going to live for Him.” Daniel gave his life to Jesus as a teen and began teaching the Bible at age 17. After seven years in full-time ministry in Olympia, Washington, God called Daniel and his wife, Laura, and their family to Delray Beach, Florida to plant a church in 2011. Redemption Church was born. The years since have only fueled Daniel’s passion for sharing Jesus and his heart for church leaders and for investing in others. “Through this podcast I want to encourage and equip you to serve Jesus, to know what a joy it is to serve Jesus and His bride. These are lessons I’m learning that I want to pass on, things I’m growing in still and learning from other people.” Episode 1 is the first of 24 podcasts in Season 1 that will be posted each Monday. eeleaders.com, the website, will include videos of the podcast for anyone to view, as well as a weekly blog and a monthly Recommended Book, and the newly released episodes of One Piece of Advice (posted on Fridays). These are short segments from pastors and other ministry leaders who will be sharing their one piece of advice for other leaders, featuring leaders from our local area, throughout the state of Florida, across the country and around the world. What a vast resource of wisdom and knowledge God has given us. There is practical wisdom, some doctrine, some theology. 

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One Piece of Advice - Integrity by Pastor Neil Spencer

Pastor Neil Spencer, Destin, Florida shares what he learned from his own father who is also a pastor. “Family matters. Ministry that doesn’t start at home, doesn’t start.” This is the standard, that who you are in private is who you are in public. And who you are in public is who you are in private. God has called you to be one person, to be authentic, to be genuine, sincere. This is life-giving advice: Be the one person God has called you to be, no matter where you are.

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The Why:  2 Timothy 2:2 …what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. This verse has been a guide to Daniel throughout his ministry. “I have always wanted to be a disciple maker, faithful to share what God has taught me with others.” That’s what EE Leaders is all about. A way to pass it on, to give back to others what has been given to you. It’s part of the blessing of having relationships. We learn from each other. Jesus said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:17). “I want to challenge you, that if the Holy Spirit teaches you something through this podcast, you would implement it, that you would pass it on to other people.”

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Quotes: 

“I want to create a community here where we can grow together.” -Daniel Williams

“Having a posture of humility and being willing to learn has blessed my life.” -Daniel Williams

“Family matters. Ministry that doesn’t start at home, doesn’t start.” - Neil Spencer

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Links: 

Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com

A Ministry to encourage and equip church leaders for God’s glory: eeleaders.com